Heirloom
by Bay Alexison
Summary: Many years after Yew and his friends saved the world, he and Magnolia settled down and started a family. One of their children, a daughter in the Crystalguard, wants to use a certain asterisk and that causes him to panic. [Bravely Second spoilers]


**Author's Notes:** A Yew/Magnolia family fic, oh my. Well, this idea popped in my head after thinking about Yew's feelings carrying that particular asterisk and the possibility of a family member wanting to use it. Thanks to misedejem for looking this over!

xxx

Yew loved his daughter, Heather, very much. At fourteen she was already proficient with the sword with everyone giving her high praises. Already she was expected to join the three Cavaliers, perhaps even the first lady to lead it in a long while. In short, he was proud of her in many ways.

That didn't mean he had his worries, though. A few years ago, he and Magnolia had told their two children about how they met and their adventures. When they mentioned about Denys and the asterisks, Petro wanted to know more about his uncle while Heather got excited in wanting to try out the Kaiser asterisk. Immediately he banned her from touching it, much to the girl's dismay. He thought this would be the one and only time they talked about that asterisk.

After a long day over at the sanctum, the pair was relieved to be finally home. Magnolia sunk on the sofa and spread her arms wide and Yew sat down on a chair.

" _Enfin!_ I didn't expect today's meeting with the Grand Marshal and the engineers to be this long."

"Me neither. However, at least we're almost done with finalizing our railroad plans." For a few years now he and Grand Marshal Edea Lee had discussed plans for building various railroads connecting Gathelatio and Eternia with other towns for easier access. The region of Eisenberg already got started on some of its railroads, so some engineers from there had been brought here to consult on effective ways with the construction. A pleased smile on his face, Yew couldn't wait for this undertaking, and all the other happenings around Luxendarc.

"Indeed, and I look forward to that," Magnolia said, sharing the same sentiment.

They were enjoying some seconds of quietness until an explosion occurred and the walls shook. That caused Yew and Magnolia to jump out from their seats.

"What was that?" Yew asked, he and Magnolia exchanging startled looks.

"Could it be one of the children?"

"Alfred's watching them, though. Doesn't matter, we should go check."

The two immediately hurried out of the mansion and into the gardens. The scent of various flowers slipped through Yew's nose, but now was not the time to appreciate them. They stopped when they reached where the fountain should be. Several pieces of a lion's head were scattered on the ground, the statue broken in half. In front of the fountain were Petro and Heather, staring at one another. Yew also noticed Heather gripping her sword. Alfred was with them too, unsure how to make of this.

"Oh my, what happened?" Magnolia asked, her palm covering her mouth.

"I noticed the children weren't inside, so I went to check in the gardens and found Miss Heather and Mister Petro here," Alfred explained. Meanwhile, Heather put her sword back in its scabbard.

"I caught Heather stealing something she wasn't supposed to and told her it's a bad idea," Petro said, pointing at his older sister, "but she insisted she would only use it for a little while."

"Wait, hold on. Is this true, Heather?" Yew asked.

Shifting her head away from her parents, Heather's gaze fell on the ground and she folded her arms. "Yes."

"And what did you steal?"

Still hesitant, Heather bit her bottom lip. She then pulled something from behind the neck of her shirt, an orange crystal on a chain. It gleamed brightly against the sun.

"An asterisk?" Magnolia said, blinking.

"Not just any asterisk. It's the Kaiser asterisk. I went outside to try it out for only a little while, but I accidentally destroyed the fountain."

Yew felt as if the color drained from his face. He glanced around to see everyone else's expressions. Both Alfred and Magnolia had stunned expressions while Petro turned away from his sister.

"Heather, I thought I told you to not touch that asterisk, ever."

"I know, I know, you banned me from using it. I just thought that my uncle's… well, your asterisk will help me train and become stronger. Since I'm in the Crystalguard and I'm expected to be part of the three Cavaliers someday, shouldn't I use that asterisk to help protect not just our family but every citizen, too?"

As Yew pinched the bridge of his nose, he tried to think of a response. He didn't want to cause a commotion in front of everyone.

"While your heart is in the right place, I'm afraid you'll abuse its power as you're still fairly young. Your Uncle Denys had good intentions when he carried that asterisk, but he still hurt many people." That pained him to say that, but that was something he couldn't overlook no matter how much he cared about his brother.

"So you're afraid I'll make the same mistake as him?" Heather glared at her father, and she stomped her boot on the ground. "You don't trust me?"

Yew's body jerked. He was about to respond, but Magnolia beat him to it.

"No, that's not what your father meant. He just believes you don't need the asterisk to properly do your duties as a knight of the Crystalguard."

Heather still fixed her stare at Yew. "Well, I don't feel the same." She gave one last glimpse of the asterisk, throwing it away on the ground. She then marched off.

Yew kneeled down to pick up the asterisk. When he stood back up, Magnolia approached him with her hand on his shoulder. Alfred and Petro soon joined them.

"If you want Master Yew, I can order a new fountain for us," Alfred said.

"That's fine. Money won't be an issue."

"Will she be okay?" Magnolia asked.

As he let the asterisk swing in front of him, Yew dragged in a deep sigh. Their fight there left a bitter taste in his mouth.

xxx

 _It would take at least two hours or so until Yew and the others would reach the Skyhold, so he waited inside his bedroom while Sakura piloted the Rubadub. He sat up on his bed, looking over the papers of how his brother started the Glanz Empire._

 _Reading those again, a surge of guilt sunk deep inside Yew's stomach and his throat grew dry. He recalled the various battles he had with the asterisk holders in the previous timeline and how he killed almost all of them. In this timeline he had spared their lives, but what he did before wasn't right even if the reason was self-defense._

 _Yew glanced out of the window, seeing the Holy Pillar's light still burning fiercely. He swallowed, and_

 _looked back at the papers. There were some things he wanted to speak with his brother before they get to their destination. Carrying the papers with him, he rushed out of his room to find Denys._

 _He eventually found him on the main deck, where Yew and his friends often fought intruding monsters back when the Rubadub didn't have its flying capabilities. Denys stared hard at the Holy Pillar. Yew called his name, and that brought his brother's attention._

" _Oh, hello Yew," he said, offering him a sad smile._

" _Hello, brother." He stole a glimpse of the bright light. "Can't stop thinking about the Holy Pillar?"_

 _Denys let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes. "This is where I whisked the Pope away to another time, dimension... I thought it was a dream, but that, in fact, had happened."_

" _Pope Agn_ _è_ _s forgives for that, though, right? She's even letting you help her in reforming the duchy and Orthodoxy."_

" _Indeed she did, and I am grateful for that. Seeing that Holy Pillar right in front of me, though, reminds me that I can never fully escape my past."_

 _Frowning, Yew knew that would be the case. "Who were the only ones left in the Skyhold before your departure to the mausoleum?"_

" _I had Anne, Nikolai, and Janne watched over the fortress during my absence. When I talked with Nikolai and Janne earlier today, I asked where was Anne and they told me she had something important to attend to. That didn't sit right with me, so I'm sure she has something to do with the Holy Pillar."_

" _That's the most likely scenario, I agree." Yew nodded, then he remembered his reason for seeing him in the first place. "Oh, there's something I want to show you." He handed the papers to him, and watched as Denys flipped through them. His brother's eyes grew wide._

" _Are those the 'Brief History of the Empire' papers? I noticed the crumbled and burnt marks since I remember telling one of my lieutenants to burn them, for obvious reasons."_

" _They are. It's fascinating how you're able to meet various people and have them join their cause, even Sir Nikolai and Janne."_

" _Yes, my long voyage there did lead me to the Glanz Empire you know today," Denys said when he finished reading through them. He handed the papers back to Yew. "With Sir Nikolai, I wrote him a letter to ask him to join and to bring Janne along with him since he knew about the boy's past. I also gave them their asterisks."_

 _Yew grunted in acknowledgement. His brother knew Nikolai longer than him, so it made sense that would happen. He then swallowed hard._

" _You mentioned before about having too much blood stained on your hands. I do too, and not just because of our family's past." Looking straight into his brother's eyes, he said, "I killed your friends and comrades from a previous timeline and that doesn't make me any better. I don't agree with their methods, but they have hopes and dreams as much as you do. This makes me just as bad."_

 _A short silence followed, only for a soft smile to curl on Denys' lips. "Neither side is perfect. My friends joined my cause already aware of the off chance they wouldn't make it alive, and they took that risk. You went against us because we were causing havoc on Luxendarc, so I can't blame you for that. All that matters now is us focusing on rebuilding this world together."_

 _Yew returned the smile back, his brother's words lifting a heavy burden from his shoulders. "Yes, together." They shook hands, and then Yew noticed the ship getting closer to the Skyhold. "We should get back inside and prepare, we're almost there."_

" _I agree," Denys said. They began taking several steps, but then Yew caught his brother stopping. "Wait, Yew. Before we go, do you still have my asterisk?"_

 _Yew flinched. He had the asterisk hidden behind his shirt, so he pulled the necklace's chain out and showed it to Denys. "Yes, I do. Do you want it back?"_

" _Actually, I don't. I want you to keep my asterisk along with those 'Brief History' papers."_

 _Upon hearing that, Yew thought his heart stopped. "Wait, are you sure? I mean, you found this asterisk and all."_

" _I have no use for it anymore, and I believe you'll take better care of it than me."_

 _While Yew took a moment to consider, his jaws tensed. Granted, he took the asterisks from the other holders but if they wanted it back he wouldn't mind doing that. And yet, Denys insisted that he would be the better caregiver of it. He still didn't think he deserved it, but perhaps he could use it for good. His face set, Yew gripped on the chains tighter._

" _All right, I'll keep the asterisk and the papers," he said, and Denys shot him a satisfied smile. Yew would make sure to not let his brother down._

xxx

Inside his and Magnolia's bedroom, Yew lay down on his bed and rubbed the asterisk between his fingers. It was warm from Heather recently using it. A pile of the "Brief History of the Empire" papers also had been set aside next to him.

Ever since Denys let him keep his asterisk, Yew pondered how he would use it as he had intended. The Kaiser asterisk was more battle oriented, and while he could use it to protect everyone like Heather wanted to, it still didn't sit right with him. He and Denys experienced and committed bloodshed in their younger years, so he wanted to prevent that as much as possible. In the end, he didn't want either of his children to experience the same thing.

"Looking through those papers again?" Magnolia asked when she stepped inside, her voice causing Yew to sit up.

"The night we went against Diamante, I showed Denys these papers and then he told me to keep these and his asterisk. " He held the asterisk up for her to see. "Heather's right, a part of me is afraid her path will be similar to Denys' and ours."

An upset look crossed Magnolia's face. She joined him on bed, her hands on her lap.

"Despite all that, you still love him, right?"

"Of course. He was supposed to help me with the changes Luxendarc had been going through these past several years."

Magnolia hummed in acknowledgement. "Let me ask you this, then. If he were still here today, would you return the asterisk back to him?"

"Yes, but I'm sure Denys would rather I still keep it," he said after some pondering.

There was a short silence between them. When Magnolia slipped her hands onto Yew's and covered the asterisk on his palm, his fingers twitched.

"I too am not fond of Heather in using that asterisk and prefer our children to be safe. However, she would benefit talking with you."

Frowning, Yew bowed his head. A part of him worried Heather still didn't want to see him, but he knew his wife was right that they needed to have this talk.

"Hopefully she'll be fine with speaking with me."

" _J'en suis sûre._ Don't worry." After she pressed a quick kiss on his lips, Yew smiled in return. He put the asterisk inside the pocket of his waistcoat, bounced off his bed, then left the bedroom.

It took Yew a minute for him to reach his daughter's bedroom. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside to see Heather on her bed wiping her sword with a cloth. Her room was very simple with blue curtains on the windows and a picture of the family on the wall. He smiled briefly at the stuffed monsters spread out, amused at how much she liked them thanks to her reading his journal.

"May I come in?"

His voice startled Heather. She twisted around, her face not as tense as he had expected.

"Oh, sure."

Yew stepped inside and joined his daughter on the bed. He scratched the back of his neck.

"So, about what happened earlier, I want to apologize."

Heather quirked an eyebrow at him. "What for?"

"You're right that I was afraid you would make the same mistake as your uncle because the both of you have a strong sense of justice. I went against him only a few years after your age, and I too made some missteps." His palm clenched on the asterisk that was still inside his waistcoat's pocket. "He had given me the asterisk in hopes I would take good care of it, only for me to keep it in hiding. I understand why you're frustrated with me, and as a father I should have put more faith in you."

As the silence stretched on, Yew waited as his daughter took his words in consideration. She put her sword aside, and her face softened.

"I've been thinking this over, and Mother's right, I can do my duties on my own fine. I shouldn't have used it without your permission."

"Your mother and I still have other asterisks, but we only use it in emergencies or dire situations. After you were born, your mother and I agreed to not use that asterisk anymore if possible."

"So you've been keeping it as an heirloom all this time, then?"

Yew's eyes flickered and his heart jumped. All these years he didn't think it like that because he still remembered his brother through his memories and what he wrote in the journal. He chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"I guess you can say that."

A small smile tugged onto Heather's face. "All right, I'll make sure to not use that heirloom, then."

"Maybe I'll reconsider when you're older, but I'm glad you understand." Yew leaned in to tuck a strand of Heather's hair behind her ear and kiss her forehead. Before leaving her room, he told her that dinner was going to be ready soon and he would see her in the dining halls then.

By the time Yew returned to his bedroom, he found Magnolia next to the desk writing something. He already figured that to be a report from the meeting earlier today. Noticing him inside, she turned around to smile at him.

" _Alors, comment ça s'est passé_?" she asked in her language, Yew certain she was wondering how his talk with Heather went.

"Heather and I got to talking, and you're right it went well. She said she won't consider using that heirloom again."

"Heirloom? So we're calling the asterisk that now?" She giggled in spite of herself. "Well, that's good everything worked out in the end."

As he approached Magnolia, Yew wrapped his arms around her shoulders and his lips brushed against hers. He breathed in the scent of perfume on her neck and hair.

"Do you think Denys would be proud of Heather and her accomplishments?" he asked, that speculation lingering around for sometime already.

" _Absolument._ Not just her, but Petro also," Magnolia said as she tapped Yew's nose.

"Of course." Their foreheads touched, and Yew's grin grew wider. In his heart, he knew his brother wouldn't object his asterisk being kept as an heirloom and be happy with this world Yew, his friends, and his family had shaped it to be.

 **Author's Notes 2:**

-I do want to give credit to tumblr user woodland-knight since one of their characters I used as inspiration for one of my own oc plotwise. I want Heather to have similar traits of Denys, though, and thought up a couple different things that hopefully makes her stand out (maybe I'll do a headcanon post?).

-Here are some French expressions!

Enfin- Finally

J'en suis sûre - I'm sure she will

Alors, comment ça s'est passé - So, how did it go?

Absolument- absolutely

"Enfin" and "absolument" I used an old French dictionary, lol. The other two expression I have a friend help me with. If I still got some of the French wrong, do let me know haha.


End file.
